The Promise
by obsidians
Summary: Tifa makes a bargain with Aerith to allow her to free herself and Zack from the life stream by taking charge of the very much alive and now mentally cured Sephiroth. This is written as a gift for Sakurablossomhime at her request.


Tifa wasn't troubled to be visited by the shade of Aerith, she was still the same sweet, gentle soul she had been in life and even as a near-ghost,Tifa held no fear of her.

Aerith looked the same as before butshe glowed as those who dwelt in the life stream did. She hadn't aged a day since she had been cruelly impaled by Sephiroth, whereas Tifa had grown and matured.

"Aerith, it's always so good to see you" Tifa greeted her as she met her in Tifa's dreams as she normally did in a garden. It was true; Tifa could never hold Cloud's interest in Aerith against her even if it had hurt her at the time. Aerith had been entirely innocent of his intentions and had never encouraged them. Aerith had been a good friend of Tifa's caught up in a capricious fantasy when Cloud barely could distinguish whether he was Zack, Sephiroth or himself.

"You might not want to ever see me again after what I am about to ask of you" Aerith said with a gravity that was so unlike her.

"Whatever is in my power to grant you, you know I will do it" Tifa promised her.

"I don't ask this of you lightly, I know when I was on Gaia, I was regarded as some kind of priestess but I was always just a mortal woman wanting the love of a good man. I have needs like any other woman but put them all aside as the planet needed me. I have spent my time here trying to make sure Sephiroth does not escape again but I've grown tired of my role. I have a chance to be reborn at that same time as Zack and it is ordained that I shall find him and we shall have the family I have always desired withhim. However, there is a small matter of Sephiroth. I cannot leave him alone. I have worked with him and healed him into what he once was as closely as possible, Jenova will always be a part of him but he is pretty much the stiff, aloof young man he was all those years ago when you met him before the madness took him. I befriended him and I worry about abandoning him as so many have done before. I ask that you forgive him and take charge of him when I release him from the life stream. He will bedazed and confused about what has happened and will need a guide I can trust with him" Aerith almost pleaded with her.

"How can you ask this of me?" Tifa demanded of her.

"I want to have a chance to live and after all that Sephiroth endured; he deserves a second chance at life. Besides, he was meant to be your life's companion" Aerith explained.

"How do you mean? Cloud….." Tifa said with a frown upon her face.

Aerith laughed at this, "you shouldn't make that face, it might freeze like that" she observed with a mischievous sparkle in her dancing green eyes that caused Tifa to grin despite the request.

"Just watch" Aerith said and they were both suddenly in a movie theatre complete with the snacks they normally got when attending a movie together. "You got me the super big gulp? You know that always makes me have to pee halfway through" Tifa complained to her friend.

"Put on your 3-D glasses and brace yourself, this is going to be a very intense movie. This is how your life was meant to go if Jenovawas never allowed tocontrolSephiroth" Aerith said, giving Tifa a wink before putting on her own glasses and settling back to watch as the movie started.

Tifa's mouth fell open as an older Sephiroth came home wearing a business suit and flipped through his mail left on the small table beside the door where he left his keys and wallet. He turned, sensing her presence and grinned at how she wore classic black lingerie that consisted of skimpy panties, a bra and black stockings with a garter belt. She wore the high heels that she only wore for special occasions and only to kick off before they went to bed or even kept on when she felt kinkier as she urged him on by lightly digging her heels into his behind. "My, my what is the occasion?" he drawled.

"As if you ever forget a thing" she said as she burnished the bottle of champagne towards him.

"Is it a special day? Our wedding anniversary isn't until May" he said with feigned confusion.

"You know we have two anniversaries" she said looking at him through narrowed eyes.

"Where are the children?" he asked her.

"Our twins are with Yuffie and Tseng tonight, you know she's pulling out all the stops in her quest to make Tseng change his mind about having a family" Tifa explained.

"Our charming brats will probably convince him to flee right back into bachelorhood" Sephiroth said in an amused voice and crossed his arms. "Seriously, what is the occasion?" he asked her.

"You seriously forgot our anniversary?" she asked him with an adorable pout and then her eyes widen when he gave her the ring box.

"Happy anniversary darling. I know that you're supposed to give someone an engagement ring when you ask them to marry them,but you didn't give me much of a choice in the matter. We made love and then you jumped the gun on me and my bachelorhood was over before it even really began. Do you like it?" he shyly added. "I didn't know what to get for you" he said as she stared at the platinum ring. It was a quarter karat oval cut diamond in simple setting with a smaller garnet on each side. "The garnets represent the twins and are their birth stones" he explained.

Tifa slipped it on her finger as if in a trance and answered him by flinging herself into his arms and clawing at his clothes. He chuckled and picked her up and hurried them towards their bed. She still held the champagne bottle and he set that on the nightstand before he turned his attention back to her and how the amorous woman clawed at his clothing. She had already gotten his tie off of him and was attempting to remove his suit jacket while unbuttoning his shirt at the same time. He laughed and helped her until his torso was bared to her wandering hands. Having an office job in National Defense that Rufus had given to him by way of apology for the wrongs his father had committed against him, as well as a huge cash settlement upon a signature on a contract that proclaimedSephiroth wouldn't sue him hadn't diminished Sephiroth lithe, yet impressive body. Yes he was enhanced but it was a habit of a lifetime to work out and he did every morning. So Tifa had a present that only she could unwrap when they made love, which was often. Sephiroth wasn't interested in other women; she had been his first and had lovingly secured him into the bonds of marriage soon after their first encounter.

He moaned when she leaned up and gently toyed with one of his nipples, knowing how arouse him, knowing his body like a favourite book she could crackopen any time. Soon he was naked and her lovingly hands were all over him, caressing him, pleasuring him until he pinned her down and unsnapped her bra so her firm, large breasts sprung free, but barely moved in their elasticity. Then his hand slipped into the top of her panties to find her already wet and aroused as he knew she would be. She groaned as he suckled her nipples while he fingered her in an expert way and finally removed her panties from her so, so sensitive womanhood and his long fingers parted her to his gaze and he noted how the whole area glistened with want of him. His mouth started the downwards journey to taste her but Tifa had enough of waiting. "Please I need you…. **now** " she pleaded and was rewarded as his heavy tool was placed against her and the velvety mushroom head slid along her slit teasingly, narrowly missing her aching core and she gasped each time it was dragged along her clitoris. He continued this until he was coated with her wetness and without warning, plunged into her and she gasped and arched her back at the sheer fullness of her husband. She cried out and all of her limbs held onto him as they made love in a frantic way as she quickly orgasmed and he gave her his all to give her many more as her long legs held onto to him like a vice and her high heels bounced off his undulating buttocks until his hot love exploded in her in a satisfying burst.

"Happy anniversary Darling. As if I could ever forget" he said as he softened in her.

"I made dinner, hope it isn't ruined by now" she said with a giggle as they cuddled.

"Go turn off the oven and then let's take a shower together. We can always order pizza later" he said swatting her bare butt and she giggled and padded naked into the kitchen to do so.

Tifa was blushing like mad under her glasses. "How?" she demanded of her friend.

"Shush, the backstory is about to begin" Aerith replied with a knowing grin.

Tifa could only stare as the events unfolded in a much different way than how she remembered. She had been there with her father as she had a crush on Sephiroth and was eager to see her old runaway friend. She was also there when he declared the mako reactor to be unsafe and recommended to shut them down. His friend showed up and called him a monster, Sephiroth's reaction was bad but she managed to calm him down by distracting him while Cloud sought help for the deteriorating Genesis. This exposed what had happened to the world as experiments on humans came to the light and Shinra was exposed for the monster he was. All three Soldiers 1st Class were cured as much as they could be and the program was disbanded and they all drifted apart after the old Shinra shot himself in the head and his more benevolent son took over.

Genesis became a rich playboy.

Zack married his sweetheart when he became of age and took her home to his family's farm to take over from his retired father.

Angeal became a chef and married a woman as nice and kind as himself and they had three children, all boys. They opened a string of successful restaurants and he was much in the limelight with his smiling, granite-like face found its way even onto TV in a special cooking show.

Sephiroth was given a job in National Defense as he had nothing to return to but he kept getting letters from the young Cowgirl he had met inNibelheim. They were a young woman's letters of course but never flirtatious. They expressed an interest in how he was doing and amused him with candid vignettes about her daily life and he found himself writing back to her. She was amusing and whimsical and obviously a romantic, yet intelligent for her age.

He didn't know what to say to a young woman so was just as candid about his daily life and hoped he wasn't boring her, he liked how plain spoken she was and there wasn't a hint of flirtation in her letters and he appreciated that. She seemed to just care for him and he wasn't used to anyone offering affection without strings attached and was flattered and welcomed her attention.

He assumed her letters would stop as she grew older and hung around with other young men her age, but the only one mention of another man was indisappointment thatCloud had returned to his mother's farm after the Soldier's program was disbanded. Not that he had returned, but that he had taken up with another girl. Tifa admitted that she once had a huge crush on him. She encouraged Sephiroth to visit her but he was always too busy. She was always careful to wish him the best on holidays and would send him gifts for his birthday or Christmas, they were often homemade, like knitted socks and he would praise them as if she had presented him with the crown jewels.

Year after year, the letters kept on coming, cheering him up to find them in his mailbox as his existence was as lonely as before, so it was always nice to hear from her and upon occasion she would send him pictures of herself as she grew up. She was growing from the cute girl she had been to a beautiful woman and he couldn't help noticing that.

When she was eighteen, she joined a pole vaulting team and sent him a video of her and somehow the sight of her in her brief gym outfit made him have to go into the shower and relieve himself as he did upon occasion. He felt guilty about this but couldn't stop watching it at the sight of her large bosom pushing out her white t-shirt, her rounded bottom cupped by her bicycle shorts and long legs flashing while all that glorious hair streamed in the breeze as she launched herself up with her pole. He sent her back a stiff letter thanking her for the footage and she asked him to come watch her, again he turned her down, but this time with flaming cheeks.

She asked him to be her prom date when she was about to graduateand promised she had the perfect dress for it. He was thirty-three and figured she couldn't be serious, so he declined. Why would a beautiful, vibrant young woman want him there? He wasn't very sociable as all; his friends were far away from him, so he was practically a shut in outside of work.

She then graduated high school and asked him again to attend her graduationand admitted she wanted to study to be a pediatric doctor and he researched the best programs for herto attend and how to earn extra credits outside of school and where to volunteer to put on her college application that would make it look good and pad it out. He was the one who personally picked out which doctor would mentor her after he had interviewed several when he couldn't stand doctor in the first place. Yet he did this for her.

He supported her from afar when she got into the top pre-med school he'd recommended and he actually called her to rejoice this and they ended up talking way into the night. That was their first oral contact since she had met him in person and their letters became lengthy, almost daily phone conversations.

She went to that program and passed it with flying colours, the school as located in Bone CityandSephiroth would sometimes fly furtively by there to make sure she was doing okay and was surprised when he found her mainly in her room studying while people in themed costumes enjoyed their youth. Yet he was happy to see her unattached and wondered why that mattered to him as he flew away.

One night she called him and he wasn't prepared to hear the ecstatic squeal in her voice when she was acceptedinto the most prestigious medical and had had to wince and hold the phone away from his ear.

She begged him to come to a small family gathering, saying she needed him there and he went. He felt somewhat bashful to meet her very much alive father and smiled as he boasted his daughter's accomplishments and not in a patronizing way, he was proud of her too. Sephiroth was polite and respectful to all people there as he had been trained to be, even Cloud and the foxy young thing he was with, who was his new wife with theirbun in the oven was about to burst out. Yet she had her eyes on all of the other guys present, besides the one who had made her an honest woman when Cloud wasn't sure the kid was his and she wore killer heels well into the third trimester.

Sephiroth focus was on Tifa as she floated around the room wearing a simple black sheath dress and appeared to glow and even Sephiroth realized that is meant she was in love as she gave him a tight hug upon greeting.

Finally, she was at his side again. "Let' go for a walk" she suggested as she took his gloved hand in her own. "Sure" he said feeling stupid in his old uniform that she had requested he wear and had just for her.

They walked a good quarter of a mile in silence and he wondered why she was leaving her own party to go deep into the woods with him and was even more confused when they reached a clearing where a tent was set up. "What is all this?" He asked her.

"That depends on you. I love you" she admitted.

"But you don't really know me and I'm much older than you" he protested.

"Age is irrelevant. I fell in love with you from your letters, please come into the tent" she practically begged him.

"Just for a minute" he said hoping his blush didn't show as he got in beside her.

"Can I remove just one of your gloves?' She requested of him.

"I guess" he said though he hesitated.

"If you would rather I not" she said as he halted.

"It's fine" he said and she gently removed his oneglove as if revealing a work of art and without preamble, did nothing more than slip her hand into his. He was shocked at this and could only stare at where their hands were joined, yet it felt alien in his and yet completely natural at the same time and very warm.

"Do you hate this? You have every reason to have an aversion to touch, I shall stop if you want" she assured him.

"It feels okay" he said and the was shocked as her lips found his.

"What are you...?" He asked.

"I want us to make love. If you don't feel the same way, I will understand and we shall leave and never speak of this night" Tifaassured.

Sephiroth could feel himself blushing. "I don't...I'm not sure" he stammered.

"Let's leave. I'm sorry I put you on the spot like this" Tifa said taking her hand back.

"I don't know how" Sephiroth blurted out until before he could stop himself.

"You've never?" Tifa said in surprise.

"I should leave, clearly you think me less of a man" Sephiroth said unable to look at her.

'I think you're the greatest man alive" she assured him.

"But what you are asking of me..." He said. "I'm willing..."

"Then let me love you. I shall show you how" she said.

"Yes" he agreed as he nervously swallowed but she took charge and it was like he was the woman as she found and unbuckled each buckle on his uniform and stroked each part of exposed flesh as it was revealed as she took his lips in gentle kisses. Sephiroth thought he would hate the feeling of hands on his naked flesh but his body welcomed hers as they roved all over him. That was nothing compared to how her mouth felt as she suckled his organ until he cried out in his first release. He fell back panting and she kissed him ardently. He felt nervous and shy that he was still hard and she mounted him and looked down at him "I'm going to love you now" and impaled herself on him with a cry that sounded like more likepain than pleasure. She sat upon him panting.

"You're a virgin?" He gaspedin a startled voice overwhelmed by how good she felt.

"I've only ever wanted you. I want to love you and I shall" she said and soon her wish came true as Sephiroth was nothing if not a good student at anything he set his mind to. His hands gripped her rounded hips asshe lifted herself up and down on his firm flesh, the pain was now just a memory and all she felt was intense pleasure. It was over way too briefly but their mutual cries heralded in theirorgasms that burst at the same , in his naivety, he thought he had hurt her until she laughingly explained afterwards thatshe had had her firstorgasm.

"Now what?" He asked her as they clung to each other, feeling rather resentful that his first time would be a one night stand now that she had gotten what she wanted from him.

"We get married and shall always celebrate this night with champagne" she declared as she opened the bottle.

"Married?" He said in a startled voice but drank his glass anyway.

Sephiroth was no push over and had fought against unfairauthority since day he was old enough to walk, so he could only stare in shock at the young slip of a girl that stood beside him wearing her mother's wedding dress and holding a bouquet of wildflowers she had picked as they both stood in front of thepriest that had baptized her. How had he gotten there? "You may now kiss the bride" the man said and she soundly kissed him while herfather beamed at them both. Sephiroth, himselfwas weirded out but felt elated at the same time.

There was no mystery how it came about despite Sephiroth's thoughts of trickery. There was no unplanned pregnancy forcing his hand. She had done nothing but show him that wasn't just his body she wanted, but every aspect of him. She wrapped him in silken bonds by introducing him into a loving, supportiverelationship. She trapped him with her wit and intelligence and showed him he was no longer alone and made love to him whenever she sensed he was in the mood. He proved to be an excellent lover and it amused her that he researched how to best please her, but the result weredefinitely worth it.

She wormed her way into his empty heart until he was claimed in every sense.

Finally, he realized he no longer was content to visit her in Nibelheim with her father and for them to furtively be together and asked for her hand in marriage and she insisted they marry the next day. Theirs was the shortest engagement ever and Sephiroth returned to Midgar with a wife and a need to research medical schools that were closer to them as she still fully intended to become a doctor andwhat neighbourhoods to buy a house inthat were safe and on her insistence, had good schools close by. This gave him seriouspause.

"Seriously? That was meant to be my future?" Tifa said, skeptical. "He looks constipated" she observed.

"He was surprised is all, he gets better" Aerith said dismissively.

"That is what he's like now?" She asked her.

"Pretty much,only with less social skills" Aerith.

"He seems to have hardly any at all" Tifa said with a frown.

"You know his life, he needs someone to draw him out. He needs a guide and guardian in this new, changed world. You've helped so many people. Surely you could..." Aerith said looking at her with large, pleading eyes.

"I shall agree only for you as you deserve the life you missed" Tifa agreedas they both returned to the garden where they'd started.

"That's great!" Aerith said and then Sephiroth joined them, silently staring down at Tifa. "I gotta go, bye. Live long and prosper...and I know you will" Aerithsaid with an adorable smileas over her shoulder as she ran towards the materializing figure of Zack. He held her and gave them a grateful smile as they both faded from view.

"Aerith, what do you mean by that?" Tifaasked the vanishing figures and Aerith just winked at her and then they were gone.

She turned her attention back to her enemy and he spoke for the first time "Tifa I'm so, so sorry, I know that is no excuse for what I did, but I was honestly being controlled. I always sought to protect..." He began.

"Save it" she said. "I cannot forgive you for what you have done, not yet at least. But I have promised to help acclimatize you to this new world. I have given my word, so I will be your guide and companion. I shall try not to let my personalfeelings get in the way, but sometimes shall probably rail against you for all the damage you've caused with your Mommy issues" she raged at him and she could have sworn he quirked a ghost of a smile at this. "It won't be easy for you and a lot of people will give you grief, mainly my closest friends. There also might be consequences you have to face but I will be by your side and defend you how I can" she added.

"That is acceptable" Sephiroth agreed.

"Good, you shall live with me in my spare room and shall work at my bar" she insisted.

"I was a general and you expect me to be a _waiter_?" He said crossing his arms before his broad chest, he couldn't help but be amused by her candor despite the circumstances.

"Busboy" she corrected, "you'll have to work up to being a waiter. I shall pay you a fair wage and feed you enough to satisfy even your mako driven appetite and give you a room" she insisted.

He lifted a snowy brow at this "or I could just live elsewhere?" he suggested.

"Nope you're living with me or no deal. I believe in the idea of keeping your enemies closer than friends. I want you where I can see you. Believe me, you won't hardly leave my side to go to the bathroom until you prove you're trustworthy and not going to have any more mental breakdowns" Tifa said with a stubbornness that intriguedhim even further.

"It seems were shall be the best of friends" he observed.

"Perhaps in time" she agreed. Taking inspiration from the movie, "take off your glove" she commanded him.

"Why" he asked her, holding his covered hands to his person as if she would attempt to wrench his coveringsfrom him.

"We have to show each other trust. I know of your aversion to touch and know that there is a good reason for it. If anyone has a good reason for this, it's you but I want you just to touch my hand without your own covered for just a brief second to show you are sincere. I need to know that you trust me enough to do this" she said holding her own small hand out.

Sephiroth stared at her as if she were insisting he strip naked and dance for her pleasure.

With trembling hands that he fought valiantly to control, he removed a single glove and put it in his pocket, exposing his long, slender hand with its almost delicate looking fingers. He reached out and bravely took her own tiny hand in his own in a way he never had with anyone before. He couldn't help noticing how frail it felt in his own, it was like he was holding the dainty wing of a baby bird. He held her hand for a fraction of a second, it felt so warm in his own. He was shockedand could only stare at where their hands were joined,it felt alien and yet completely natural at the same time in his own.

They both looked up when their simple touch elicited the sounds of a pair of babies crying.

"I guess that is the sound of Aerith and Zack being reborn. They are twin souls forever meant to be together" Sephiroth said with that she thought was a trace of envy in his silky voice.

However, Tifa froze and blushed, remembering how in the movie,she and Sephiroth had had _twins_.

"Are you okay?" He asked her at her odd reaction.

"Yes, we should get going "she hastily said. "The first stop is the Shinra mansion. You will need money to get started in your new life and he has plenty of it. But I shall still pay you for your work of course" she assured him.

"You want me to threaten it out of him?" Sephiroth scoffed in affront at this.

"No the words "civil suit" ought to do the trick" Tifa said with a smirk.

"Why do I get the impression it is better to have you as a friend than an enemy?" Sephiroth asked her.

"You should be so lucky. Perhaps someday" she said as they walked towards their future.


End file.
